Ralf Dahrendorf on floating voters and stalemate situations

Whether it's the Czech Republic or Mexico, Germany or Italy, parliamentary elections that end in a stalemate or with a tiny margin between two parties are becoming increasingly frequent, sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf notes. "Everywhere electorates appear to be unstable and voters are willing to change their allegiances from one election to the next. Frequently, all they want is a change," the sociologist comments. So what should be done in a stalemate situation? "One solution is to form a grand coalition like that in Germany now. It's amazing to see how quickly Christian Democrats and Social Democrats have forgotten their campaign pledges and agreed on a programme involving tax increases… Another possibility is to convert razor-thin majorities on one side into a government whose politics remain in the middle of the political spectrum. This is exactly what happened in Italy, but it could also happen in the Czech Republic."

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